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By David O. Williams
Headline RSS FeedTalk about lipstick on a pig: Pete Buckley as a journalist deserves disclosure by Vail Daily
September 11, 2008 —
Now that Vail Daily Editor Don Rogers has returned to the helm, already back to his old tricks of pissing off liberals and conservatives with equal glee, I’d like to issue him a challenge regarding his news judgment. It’s a challenge his more liberal predecessor, Alex Miller, surprisingly passed on.
Don, do you find it newsworthy that Republican Eagle County commissioner candidate Debbie Buckley -- facing Democrat and former Eagle Mayor Jon Stavney in the Nov. 4 general election -- refuses to acknowledge the fact that her arch-conservative and muckraking husband Pete Buckley is the editor the Eagle County Times Web site, an anonymous political blog being used to further the agenda of the local Republican Party?
Shouldn’t this information at least be part of your profiles of former Avon Town Councilwoman Debbie heading into the stretch run of this year’s election? The existence of such a valuable campaign tool may or may not violate campaign-finance regulations, but at the very least it’s a conflict of interest and something voters should be aware of before they head to the polls.
I won’t even bother arguing whether this site actually belongs to Pete. I’ve detailed all the evidence in past stories, and at a recent GOP fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer in Edwards I was a few feet away from Pete while he asked questions and videotaped Schaffer -- videos that later showed up on the Eagle County Times (ECT).
I’m not arguing for squelching Pete’s First Amendment rights – far from it. I am simply making a case that his name should be on the site so voters can better assess the quality of the information and make a correlation between the views of the husband and the views of the wife, if they choose to do so.
For instance, I find it newsworthy that Pete put up this lovely little item on this week’s post, after first airing his familiar rant about the allegedly overpriced Eagle County Justice Center expansion, which was on this week’s agenda:
“With great relief the ECT can also report that this same meeting agenda includes a County Commissioner Resolution designating September 7-13, 2008 as ‘national suicide prevention week”. If this kind of "disenfranchised taxpayer abuse" continues, the ECT Staff suspects the Commissioners may have to pass a resolution designating as ‘national homicide prevention week’ - the week before this November's County Commissioner election.”
Knowing Pete, he thinks he was being funny, but I’d just like to know whether Debbie finds thinly veiled murder threats to be a legitimate part of an election campaign, or whether she disavows such statements and wants to take Eagle County politics out of the Tom Stone caveman era of vicious attack politics by the local GOP fringe.
And mainly I’m wondering whether our local mainstream media monopoly (MSM) will ever tackle this story. Sorry, Vail Mountaineer, to me you’re still an agenda-driven right-wing mouthpiece that will never air the Buckley shenanigans (because you agree with them).
3 Comments on "Talk about lipstick on a pig: Pete Buckley as a journalist deserves disclosure by Vail Daily"
Walter Dandy — September 12, 2008
Thanks for your superb journalistic effort over Mr. and Mrs. Sneaky Pete Buckley. As an anit-tax Republican I agree with Debbie on many issues, but I can't stomach the history of conflicts of interest. To me she seems amoral. Stavney seems honorable, so I am voting for him. Your header should have been "lipstick on a prick" to bring into focus the lack of any clear basis of differentiation between the candidate and her attack lap dog.
Walter Dandy
Avenger — September 14, 2008
I would never read this scummy website.I am being forced to leave a comment,because as a woman I am offended by saying "PIG"and the name of a woman,in the same title.
Who cares who is blogging what website.The last I checked there was freedom of speech in USA.
Walter Dandy,change your affiliation,a republican belives in low taxes.You want to vote for a guy who refuses to sign the pledge of no tax increases.
You guys are jealous cause Debbie has agreed not to increase taxes.
Discuss issues not personalaties.
I dont know who Pete is but more power to him,seems like he is getting these liberals truly rattled.Good for you Mr Pete.
Fallacy — August 27, 2009
If Pete Buckley thinks supporting National Suicide Prevention Week is "disenfranchised taxpayer abuse", he needs his head examined. This record-high tragedy is finally being addressed by various entities in Eagle County, and his comments are sick.
